Oriental Museum

The Oriental Museum is the only museum in the North of Britain devoted solely to the art and archaeology of the Orient. The remarkable collections reveal the great cultures of Asia; the Near and Middle East; and North Africa.

Highlights include the Chinese and Ancient Egyptian collections, which are Designated Collections of national importance.

Venue Type:

Museum

Opening hours

Mon - Fri 10.00-17.00Sat - Sun & Bank Holidays 12.00-17.00

Closed: Between Christmas & New Year

Admission charges

Adults: £1.50Children 5-16 and Over 60s: 75pFamily Ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children): £3.50Free on production of relevant ID: Friends of the Oriental Museum, students in higher education, Durham University staff, Armed Forces, MA and NACF members

Discounts

Museums Association

Additional info

See website for details

The Oriental Museum's collections number over 23,500 objects and range in date from prehistoric artefacts to contemporary arts. The collections cover the history and arts of the great cultures of Ancient Egypt, China, Japan, South and South East Asia and Islamic North Africa. The Chinese and Ancient Egyptian collections are Designated Collections of national importance.

The Egyptian collection is one of the best Egyptology resources in Britain. It ranges from the Pre-Dynastic to the Coptic periods in date and includes a wide selection of objects ranging from monumental sculpture to woven sandals. Numerous items of exceptional quality and international significance are included. Particular highlights are a unique 18th Dynasty boxwood carving of a Nubian servant girl; the 18th Dynasty polychrome sycamore boxes of Perpawty; and a fine 13th Dynasty granite statue of the vizier Paser.

The Chinese collection is one of the most comprehensive in Europe. It is a significant and representative collection of pieces from earlier dynasties as well as numerous fine examples from later dynasties. The museum recently purchased (2007) a portfolio of 60 contemporary Chinese prints, representing the work of many of China’s best contemporary printmakers.

Exhibition details are listed below, you may need to scroll down to see them all.

Exhibition (temporary)

Dressed to Impress: netsuke and Japanese men's fashion

9 December 2016 — 21 May 2017 *on now

Netsuke is the Japanese art of miniature sculpture. Originally a practical piece of dress, during the Edo Period (1615-1868 CE) these carvings evolved into an important art form in Japan.

Museums often display netsuke as works of art, acknowledging the great skill used in their creation in wood, ivory, ceramic or metal. This exhibition shows how they were worn as part of a complete outfit. For this reason, in addition to displaying a group of some of the British Museum’s finest netsuke, the exhibition also includes a sword, smoking accessories and inro (cases for holding small objects).

Featured alongside the British Museum objects are a selection of netsuke and other accessories from the Oriental Museum’s own collection, together with woodblock prints relating to Japanese men’s fashion.

This exhibition was developed in partnership with the British Museum, and is generously supported by the Dorset Foundation.

China in the MacDonald Gallery

This gallery is named after Rt. Hon. Malcolm MacDonald, the politician and diplomat.

MacDonald was also a passionate collector of Chinese ceramics and the backbone of this gallery is dedicated to fulfilling his dream of creating a chronological display of the development of this most Chinese of art forms from the Neolithic to the present day.

The Oriental Museum’s Chinese collections have been granted Designated Collection status in recognition of their national and international importance and the rest of this gallery does not disappoint. Highlights include ancient burial jades - including rare body protectors - and ceremonial weapons. There are also ancient bronzes and intricately carved Ming and Qing dynasty jade ornaments.

This gallery was funded by the Designation Development Fund and the Art Fund.

Website

West Asia

This region of the world has always been a melting pot of beliefs, cultures and artistic traditions. This rich and complex heritage is reflected in the displays in this area.

Focusing on the early centuries of Islam, these displays are only a taster of the depth of this collection. We are working on a new gallery to cover this region in more depth which we are aiming to open in March 2017. In the meantime, these interim displays have been designed to give a flavour of Islamic arts and crafts and include ceramics, calligraphy and metalwork from across the region.

Website

Korea

The Korean collections are among the smallest in the museum but they are also hugely varied. Support from a number of funders has also enabled us to expand the collection specifically for this space.

This gallery features musical instruments, furniture, ceramics, calligraphy, and scholar’s implements dating from the United Silla dynasty (668-935 CE) to the present day.

Funding has come from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fundthe Art Fundthe Friends of the Oriental Museumand the Arts Council for England, via Stories of the World (part of the Cultural Olympiad for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games).

Website

Japan

See Edo Period wood block prints alongside cels from anime moviesvintage kimono alongside modern street fashioncenturies old ceramics alongside pieces by 20th and 21st century masters.

This gallery has been created in direct response to visitor interest in contemporary Japanese art and culture. Thanks to generous funding by the Art Fund, the Museum has been able to acquire a range of contemporary Japanese art, fashion and domestic goods that complement our historic Japanese collections.

Funding has been provided by the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund and the Art Fund.

Website

Ancient Egyptian art and archaeology

This gallery has been designed to introduce younger visitors to Ancient Egypt. Displays cover those topics usually taught at school such as food and farming, building, writing and beliefs.

Labelling has been designed to help parents and teachers guide younger visitors, but there is plenty here for everyone to enjoy.

While younger visitors are playing with the toy pyramid and temple, or trying out a word search, others can enjoy looking at amulets, animal mummies, and exquisite jewellery. Then why not try out our giant game of senet, played by the ancient Egyptians?

This gallery was funded by the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund.

Website

Marvels of China

1 November 2014 — 1 November 2018 *on now

Laid out thematically, the gallery covers topics such as family and home, scholars, agriculture, festivals and arts and crafts.

A large activity area features dressing-up costumes and activity sheets for younger visitors as well as comfy sofas for parents and carers. Replicas of the famous terracotta warriors guard the gallery, painted to look as they would have done when they were buried.

Website

Himalayas, India and South East Asia

13 February 2015 — 1 November 2018 *on now

See highlights from our collection of Gandharan sculpture, the earliest artistic style to represent the Buddha, marvel at exquisitely fine Indian jades and enjoy objects from Burma, Brunei, Sarawak and other parts of South East Asia.

The development of this gallery is being supported by the Arts Council for England and the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund.

Website

In the Image of the Other: Visualising a British-Himalayan Town, Shimla

14 October 2016 — 30 March 2017 *on now

Shimla is the capital of the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It was the summer capital of British India from 1864-1947. Nursed on nostalgia, the British built Shimla (earlier 'Simla') as their ‘little version of England’ and by extension, of Britain itself, complete with neo-Tudor structures, leisure spots, and imposing residences- from cottages to castles, all complemented by a temperate European weather and landscapes. Today, Shimla serves as a hugely popular destination for tourists from all over the world, and its status as an ‘other’ continues to be celebrated.

Photographer Siddharth Pandey hails from Shimla and is currently a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Cambridge, working at the interface of Material Culture Studies and Fantasy Literature. His love for his unique hometown has shaped his photographic vision. The exhibition opens with a comparative photography of spaces in Britain and Shimla, and then continues with a focus on some key built and natural icons that have survived the test of time and inform Shimla's remarkable identity. All images are supported by Siddharth’s writings and reflections on the town’s unique history and his relationship with it.

Admission

Website

Unhomely Objects

Korean glass artist Kee Ryong Choi has lived in the UK for ten years. His work explores the idea of what he terms ‘unhomeliness’, a sense of not belonging within either Korean or British culture.

Choi’s works will be set within the context of the Korean collections at the Oriental Museum to create a pseudo Korean-British/ British-Korean installation that does not easily fit into either Korean or British visual culture but combines elements of both.

Suitable for

Any age

Where

Room EH009, Elvet Hill House (adjacent to the Oriental Museum)

Admission

Normal admission prices apply.

Website

'A Forgotten Campaign'

11 November 2016 — 30 March 2017 *on now

From the mid-seventeenth century, Darfur was an independent Muslim kingdom in what is now western Sudan, ruled by a hereditary line of Sultans. When the British invaded Sudan in 1898 they did not extend their conquest into Darfur. However by 1916 restless British officers and officials stationed in Sudan hungered to play their part in the Great War raging across Europe.

Ali Dinar, the Sultan of Darfur, was painted by officials as a dangerous jihadist and ally of the Ottomans and a force of 2000 men was sent into Darfur to remove him. Although the British were outnumbered, their military technology prevailed. This exhibition uses images from Durham University’s Sudan Archive to tell the story of the invasion and its aftermath, British occupation and the longer term impact on the region.

Please note, this exhibition includes images that some people may find distressing.

Suitable for

18+

16-17

Admission

Normal museum admission charges apply.

Resources listed here may include websites, bookable tours and workshops, books, loan boxes and more. You may need to scroll down or click on headers to see them all.

Face to face resources

Life in Ancient Egypt

A schools workshop looking at life in Ancient Egypt. The children make extensive use of our galleries and handling collection to explore the subject in depth. There is also the opportunity to participate in role play and mummify some fruit. (Group size: normally 30 but more by arrangement; Duration: 4 hours including lunch; Level: KS2)

Creator

Durham University Museums and Special Collections

How to obtain

For information about booking a visit, please see our website - www.dur.ac.uk/4schools/indexpages/visits.html

Face to face resources

Marvels of China

In this schools workshop session children will have the chance to participate in a wide range of activities from exloring the symbolism in Chinese art to having a go at producing their own scrolls. Students will also have the opportunity to take part in a gallery trail, handle original artefacts and engage in fun craft activities. (Group size: normally up to 30 but larger classes by arrangement; Duration: 2-4 hours; Level: KS2)

Creator

Durham University Museums and Special Collections

Paper-based and downloads

Treasures of the Oriental Museum, Durham University

On 30th June 2010 the Oriental Museum launched a major new publication to commemorate the Golden Jubilee. This book includes 50 short essays by curators, artists, students, researchers and collectors from the UK and around the world. Eash essay offers a different view on an object from the collections accompanied by all new colour photography of these stunning objects.

Publisher

TMI Group

How to obtain

Order forms can be downloaded from our website, or you can order via the Durham University Retail Office website: www.dur.ac.uk/university.shop/

Face to face resources

Turning Japanese

This schools workshop session offers students the chance to experience a wide range of activities aimed at increading knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture. Activities include a gallery trail, making a Japanese kite, and origami. Schools can also combine this session with a visit to the nearby Botanic Garden to look at the plants that inspire Japanese art.(Group size: noramlly one class but larger groups may be able to be accommodated; Duration: 2-4 hours; Level: KS2)

Website

E-mail

All enquiries

Telephone

All enquiries

0191 334 5694

All information is drawn from or provided by the venues themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.